What is BS EN 50615, and why does it matter?

An interest in the BS EN 50615 standard has been growing across the UK since it was included in the BS 9991:2024 building regulations revision in November 2024, and many of our current and potential customers are now asking us what exactly it is and where it has come from.

BS EN 50615 is a European standard designed to prevent fires on electric hobs by cutting power before ignition occurs. Now referenced in the BS 9991:2024 building regulations, it marks a shift from reactive fire safety towards genuine prevention. While compliance sets a useful baseline, not all certified devices offer the same level of protection. Factors such as fail-safe behaviour, independent testing, and suitability for UK kitchen layouts remain critical when choosing a stove guard.

What is a BS EN 50615 device?

To describe it in as short a way as possible: BS EN 50615 refers to technology – sometimes known as ‘stove guard’ technology – that has been certified to reliably and effectively extinguish and/or prevent fires on the stovetop. It comprises two components: a sensor (which watches the stove) and a controller (which controls or cuts the power to the stove).

This article centres mainly on Part B for the standard, because Part A refers to extinguishing hoods. However, at the time of writing, there are no extinguishing hoods certified to meet the standard. It’s also worth considering that extinguishing hoods aren’t fail-safe (once discharged they’re no longer effective until they’re serviced and the propellant is replenished). They also require regular maintenance to ensure their effectiveness.

A common question we receive is: “Does your product false alarm or trigger unnecessarily?” Speaking from experience, my own Airis unit has only ever reacted once in two years, and that was after I left the room while frying onions on high heat. Rest assured: this technology is reliable and built for real-world use.

Why Unicook is qualified to comment on stove guard technology

What right do I have to be writing this? Unicook was the first company to distribute stove guards in the UK in 2015. After considerable experience, we switched to distributing the most advanced and reliable stove guards available, from Safera Oy, a Finnish company. We have no red or fire symbols in our logo, because our sole focus is making sure there never is a fire in the first place.

Background: How BS EN 50615 came to be

The first “stove guard” was invented by a Swedish company called Cabinova in the 1980s, and the technology has advanced considerably since then. In 2010, Norway mandated stove guards for all domestic kitchens. In practice, this means that a stove guard must be installed in a new house or when a kitchen is renovated. Norway’s action created a substantial market for stove guards and led to considerable investment in developing the technology. Today, there are over 1 million devices installed across Europe.

In 2015, several manufacturers were consulted to create a pan-European standard to ensure stove guard products are tested and proven effective and, ultimately, to prevent stove guards from being confused with non-compliant cut-off devices that do not prevent fires, such as hob timers or PIRs.

BS EN 50615 was subsequently established by the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation in March 2015 with the intention of setting minimum requirements for stovetop safety products to reduce kitchen fires across Europe.

The standard focuses on detecting, preventing, and suppressing fires caused by cooking appliances or flammable materials left on hobs. There are two main categories within the standard, which we’ll go into below.

Traditional fire safety measures like sprinklers, fire doors, smoke hoods, extinguishers, smoke alarms, and fire blankets all play a role in fire safety. However, these are all reactive solutions—triggered only after a fire has already ignited, at which point it’s all about damage control and life-saving efforts. Simply put, they don’t comply with BS EN 50615.

Scope of BS EN 50615: Designed for electric hob fire prevention

BS EN 50615 applies to devices designed for fire prevention and suppression on electric hobs (cooktops). There is a strong emphasis on preventing fires before ignition occurs.

Device categories within the standard

As mentioned above, there are two major categories that fall within the standard:

• Category A: Devices that extinguish stovetop fires that have already started.
• Category B: Devices that prevent fires from starting by cutting off power before ignition. Note: if you ever read about a “category AB”, that just refers to devices that combine preventive power cut-off with extinguishing capabilities if a flame occurs.

Just FYI: as no devices meet category A or AB, we’ll zoom in on category B for the remainder of this article. Category B has been our focus since 2015, too.

Category B compliance: Key requirements

To be Category B compliant, a system must:

• Have the ability to disconnect the cooker from the electricity supply before a pan temperature reaches 330°C.
• Have the ability to reliably disconnect the power supply in the case of a high risk of fire (which can be lower than 330°C if certain cooking oils are used).
• Ensure that a fire does not occur after disconnection (the situation is monitored for 10 minutes following the disconnection).
• Provide an audible warning of at least 65 decibels within 15 seconds prior to power cut-off.
• Avoid creating false alarms and not behave arbitrarily.

How are stove guards tested?

In order to achieve certification, devices are put through rigorous testing to ensure their effectiveness. For example, products must successfully handle:

• Heating a specified volume of sunflower oil on a ring set to its highest power to assess the device’s response.
• Simultaneously using 3 rings to boil water for 20 minutes and then deliberately overheating a pan containing oil.

The role of BS EN 50615 in modern fire safety

It’s difficult to overstate just how significant this standard is to fire safety: 50% of domestic fires occur in the kitchen, and the majority of those come from the stovetop. Despite advancements in cooking technology, kitchen fires remain prevalent. Even modern induction cookers can pose fire risks; in fact they can make a fire more likely:

If every stovetop were equipped with preventative technology like stove guards, fire safety across the UK would be drastically improved. This is what we’ve been working towards since 2015, and it’s clearly why the technology was included in the building regulations BS 9991:2024 revision.

Adoption in the UK: From universities to building regulations

We first introduced the technology to the UK when the University of Brighton adopted it across all their halls of residence starting in 2015 (students are a high-risk group). Over the subsequent years, many other universities followed in Brighton’s footsteps.

In 2018, we noticed that more and more developers were specifying the technology for general residential projects, especially high-rise buildings and apartments in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. This trend continued until 2024, when the technology was included in the BS 9991:2024 revision of the building regulations.

Limitations of traditional fire safety solutions

One of the biggest challenges we came up against in the early days was that the term “fire prevention” had been effectively hijacked.

Reactive devices such as fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, suppression hoods and fire blankets act after a fire has started, focusing on damage control rather than prevention. These measures, while very important, don’t prevent fires and may offer a false sense of security.

Devices like Airis stove guard represent actual fire prevention and don’t suffer from these limitations.

Shortcomings of the standard: What BS EN 50615 doesn’t cover

The BS EN 50615 standard is a big step forward for fire safety. But from our experience, we know it isn’t perfect. Here are a few things what you need to be aware of:

1. The standard doesn’t account for UK isolator switches

Unlike kitchens across the European mainland, in the UK we have isolator switches next to the stovetop. Some BS EN 50615 devices don’t cater for this, and will allow for unprotected cooking for 24 hours if the switch is turned off and on again. Always ensure that a device takes this into account.

2. Devices aren’t required to be truly fail-safe or tamper-proof

The standard merely says that the power must be cut if the sensor is removed from its mounting. With some systems which lack two-way radio communication, a simple reset of the power will allow unprotected cooking even when the sensor has been removed or isn’t working.

3. Some products haven’t been tested for conformity by an independent testing facility

This isn’t a problem with the standard itself, but under the rules manufacturers are allowed to “self-certify” – basically, this means that they can claim it conforms if they believe it does. We don’t think that this is OK for something as mission-critical as fire safety.

4. The standard doesn’t cover gas stoves

BS EN 50615 was created to cover electric stovetops. At the point of writing, no technology exists that protects gas hobs against the ignition of fire.

5. No protection against human error

While the devices will prevent fires from dangerous and unattended cooking, they can’t cater for all manner of human error. A towel left on the stove, for example, will probably still catch fire.

Beyond compliance: How to choose the right stove guard

There are other things to bear in mind that go beyond simply complying with the standard. Ultimately, you’re buying a product, and all the standard considerations of buying something come into play:

• Fail safety – I touched on this above, but it’s worth a second mention: What happens if the batteries in the sensor run down? What happens if the radio-link fails? What happens if the sensor stops working?
• Reliability – what’s the track record of the device? Besides preventing fires, how long does it tend to last and does it have a reputation for going wrong?
• Warranty – similar to above, how long does the manufacturer provide a warranty on the device? This can be an indication of their confidence in the product and the likelihood of the device malfunctioning.
• Aesthetics – how does the device look?
• Mounting position – how is the device positioned? On the wall, on the hood, on the ceiling? Does it have flexible installation options?
• Battery life – how long does the sensor last before its batteries need changing?
• Future proof – is the device ready for what might be coming down the road? Does it have Wi-Fi and remote monitoring capabilities? Does the manufacturer have an API for use in smart homes and building management systems?

Advantages of BS EN 50615-compliant stove guards

Aside from the obvious impact on saving lives, BS EN 50615 technology brings with it many other advantages.

Firstly, thanks to proactive monitoring of cooking activities and early intervention, there’s no fire.

In the first instance, that means no false alarms, evacuations, no fire service call-outs, and no water damage from a sprinkler system.

Then there are all of the repercussions of a fire which are no longer a concern; no damage to property by fire or water, no injuries or post-traumatic stress, no insurance claims or investigations, and no temporary rehousing of residents.

In addition, there are other benefits if a cloud-ready device is used:

• Data from the devices can be used to analyse electricity consumption and environmental information, and remote alerts can be sent to building managers (or relatives).
• Data from the devices can be used to identify which kitchens show the highest number of alarms and activations. This can allow for highly targeted education on the importance of cooking safely, meaning an efficient use of resources: if someone is cooking safely, they don’t need guidance, and that time can be better used elsewhere.
• Reports can be produced to provide empirical evidence to an insurance provider, which may result in reduced insurance premiums. BS EN 50615 devices can also be particularly life-changing for elderly people and those with cognitive impairments. People can cook with confidence, maintain their dignity and prolong their independence. There’s also the potential for significant savings on the cost of meal provision.

Conclusion: A turning point for kitchen fire safety

BS EN 50615 marks a quiet but significant turning point in kitchen fire safety in the UK. It shifts the focus from damage control to prevention — from reacting once a fire has started, to stopping it from ever beginning. That’s a big deal, especially when you consider that half of all domestic fires in the UK start on the stove.

We don’t think the standard is perfect, and compliance alone doesn’t guarantee safety. But it does set a clear benchmark for what reliable, preventative stovetop protection should look like. Our advice is this: don’t just look for compliance. Look at the details — how the device performs, whether it’s been independently tested, and how it holds up over time.

At Unicook, we’ve been working with this technology since the standard was created. We introduced stove guards to the UK in 2015 because we believed (and still believe) that prevention is the most effective form of protection. Sounding alarms and putting out flames is obviously essential, but surely we should be making sure the fire never starts in the first place when we can.

Because in the end, that’s what solid safety should look like: Not flashy, not dramatic, just quietly doing its job.

BS EN 50615 FAQs

What is BS EN 50615?

BS EN 50615 is a European safety standard for stove guard technology designed to prevent or suppress fires on electric hobs. It sets minimum performance and testing requirements for devices intended to reduce the risk of kitchen fires.

Is BS EN 50615 mandatory in the UK?

The standard itself is not mandatory, but it is now referenced in BS 9991:2024, which influences building design and fire safety strategies for residential buildings in the UK. As a result, it is increasingly being specified by developers, housing providers, and consultants.

What is the difference between Category A and Category B devices?

Category A devices extinguish fires after ignition, while Category B devices prevent fires by cutting power before ignition occurs. At present, only Category B devices are available and certified under the standard.

Does BS EN 50615 apply to gas hobs?

No. BS EN 50615 applies only to electric hobs. There is currently no equivalent standard or certified technology that provides comparable fire prevention for gas cookers.

Does compliance with BS EN 50615 guarantee full protection?

No. The standard sets minimum requirements, but it does not cover all real-world risks or installation scenarios. Factors such as fail-safe operation, tamper resistance, compatibility with UK isolator switches, and independently certified third-party testing should also be considered.

Further reading and resources

You can find the full BS EN 50615 standard here.

You can find the full BS 9991:2024 revision here.

You can learn more about our Airis stove guard here.

Questions about installing or retrofitting Airis?​

For more information on Airis stove guard and how it can be integrated into your fire safety strategy, get in touch with our team. We also offer CPD-accredited presentations on fire safety standards, including BS EN 50615.

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